From the Urdu Press: ‘Nitish, Naidu face UCC test over secularism, minority rights’ | Political Pulse News
7 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Sep 15, 2026 05:05 PM IST
The BRICS summit dominated the coverage of the Urdu dailies over the week as they spotlighted the New Delhi declaration adopted unanimously by its members including Iran and UAE. The dailies attributed it to India’s smart, consistent and independent foreign policy. On the domestic front, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s pitch for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) – and subsequent reactions from across the political spectrum – was another big story that made headlines and marked their commentary pages.
INQUILAB
Commenting on Amit Shah’s announcement that the UCC will be implemented in all 21 BJP-led NDA ruled states before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, the New Delhi edition of Inquilab, in its September 15 editorial, says that this may not be a new claim as the UCC has always been among the BJP’s ideological objectives. “However, in the context of the prevailing political situation, Shah’s statement assumes additional significance,” it says, pointing to the “shifting scene” in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. This raises several questions, the edit says. “One, is Shah’s claim a serious policy initiative for effecting reforms in our personal laws, or is it just a diversionary move to change the current political discourse.”
The perception is gaining ground, the daily says, that the Narendra Modi government has raked up the UCC matter now to “deflect public attention from burning issues and create unease among the minorities”. “This is why various quarters have questioned not only the government’s intent but also the timing and political fallout of its announcement,” it states. A key aspect of this row would be the stand of the BJP’s major allies, the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and the N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP, on the UCC, the edit says. “Both Nitish and Naidu have always gone to the polls pledging their commitment to secularism and the rights of the minorities. The UCC will test these pledges. They have helped the BJP form a government at the Centre. If they remain silent on the UCC issue, it will bring their political ideology into question. If these regional parties lose their political identity, it may threaten even their existence.”
The editorial points out that the UCC’s implications for the country’s social and legal systems would continue to spark questions. “The BJP’s allies like the JD(U) and TDP will have to make their position crystal clear before the people. If they resist the UCC, they would also get the Opposition’s backing,” it says. In a multi-religious, culturally-diverse country like India, any decision on a sensitive issue like the UCC must be taken not on the basis of numbers in the House but after holding widespread consultations with all sections, taking them into confidence, and in light of the constitutional principles, the edit adds.
AAG
Highlighting the deliberations of the BRICS summit and its declaration, the Lucknow-based Aag, in its September 14 leader, says the grouping achieved a “historic” consensus amid geopolitical tensions and uncertainties despite sharp differences between its members. “The summit laid out a roadmap to strengthen the voice of Global South, pitch for a multilateral order, and seek global peace and security,” the editorial says, adding that its stand on hot button issues like the West Asia war and Gaza reflected India’s “successful and balanced diplomacy”.
The BRICS conclave took place at a time when the world has been reeling from wars, instability, and unilateral trade tariffs, the edit notes. “In such a situation, working out a consensus among the BRICS members, from China and Russia to Brazil and South Africa, to Iran and UAE, for a common declaration encompassing 45 pages and 140 paragraphs is India’s major diplomatic accomplishment,” it says.
The editorial points out that the declaration has expressed serious concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, targeting Israel over forced displacement of Palestinians. It has called for maintaining the Gaza ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access, condemning attacks on civilians and civilian objects, including healthcare facilities and other civilian infrastructure. “The declaration reiterated the BRICS’ support for a two-state solution, with a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the edit states.
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The daily says the BRICS group also resolved to combat terrorism in “all its forms and manifestations”, condemning in the strongest terms the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. “It also reiterated that terrorism is not to be associated with any specific religion, nationality, civilisation, or ethnic group.”
Without naming the United States, the declaration has targeted unilateral trade restrictive measures, stating that they undermine the global free trade and supply chains, the editorial writes. “While having strategic and security ties with Israel, India has demonstrated that for a stable West Asia as well as the cause of Palestine it could not make any compromises,” it says. “The New Delhi declaration is a manifesto for global peace, geopolitical cooperation, and sustainable economic development which could lead to a fair, multilateral order. This is incumbent on all BRICS members to implement it.”
SIASAT
Referring to the Congress’s move to appoint party general secretary Sachin Pilot, 49, as the new in-charge of Punjab in place of ex-Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its September 10 editorial, points out that Pilot’s task is cut out now.
“The Congress leadership has sent Pilot to Punjab just before the Assembly elections to tackle infighting within the faction-ridden state unit in order to boost the party’s electoral prospects. Baghel had failed to resolve the conflicts between senior state party leaders,” it says. As the then Rajasthan Congress president in 2018, Pilot had spearheaded its campaign against the incumbent BJP and brought the party to power, the edit notes. “Pilot has now hit the ground running in Punjab, meeting the party leaders from various factions. He says they have assured him that they would fight the elections unitedly. Such intra-party rifts are however not likely to be resolved soon. It would need persistent efforts and negotiations.”
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The daily says while Pilot is a seasoned leader close to the Congress top brass who is expected to put in all his efforts to bring its Punjab house in order, both the state and central party leadership should also step up to face the electoral challenge. “The Congress high command should reach out to all its state satraps to address their grievances and take them on board. However, it must also draw a red line — that the party could not compromise with its overriding objective of clinching the 2027 polls and that it would not allow any manoeuvres to scuttle its chances,” the edit says, adding that it should not shy away from cracking down on those bent on sealing its electoral fate.
